{"id":2718,"date":"2009-04-04T20:17:46","date_gmt":"2009-04-05T00:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/?p=2718"},"modified":"2009-04-04T20:24:43","modified_gmt":"2009-04-05T00:24:43","slug":"preparations-for-the-high-holy-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/2009\/04\/04\/preparations-for-the-high-holy-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparations for the High Holy Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a bit of a personal note, I spent the afternoon getting ready for celebrating tomorrow’s high holy day.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re interested in how to do it properly, click on “more”.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First, you make sure you have all the information you need to watch, understand, and celebrate De Ronde van Vlaanderen (“Tour of Flanders”).\u00c2\u00a0 \"ronde_van_vlaanderen_logo\"To fully understand the meaning of this one day race – which is a confluence of cycling, suffering and cobbles – look to the writings of learned men and women<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once you feel like you’ve got a grasp on the essence of de Ronde, it’s time to focus on the practical aspects.\u00c2\u00a0 Steephill.tv fills this need quite well<\/a>, providing the official start time, various sources to watch it live (depending on where you are), full team rosters, and a route map.\u00c2\u00a0 All on one page.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Would that all other holy books were so accessible, eh? \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next, you need to set your alarm clock.\u00c2\u00a0 What time you set it for depends on where you live, and how you’ll be accessing live coverage. \u00c2\u00a0 If you’re in Belgium . . . actually, it doesn’t matter.\u00c2\u00a0 Because you will *be there*.\u00c2\u00a0 The rest of us, say, on the American east coast, we’ll set it for around 5am, as that’ll give us time to get up, get caught up on the very beginning of the race, and find an available video stream in a suitable language (Dutch, French, Italian, and English will be on offer, at a minimum).\u00c2\u00a0 Then we’ll move on to the next step.\u00c2\u00a0 Because the next step is key.<\/p>\n

You’ll go to your fridge and extract the first of a number of Belgian ales.\u00c2\u00a0 Chimay and Duvel are widely available in the US, others not so much<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 While you’re doing that, you should start heating the oil to make a batch of frites.\u00c2\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>You will, of course, have previously gathered all the necessary items to make proper Belgian frites<\/a>, complete with homemade mayonnaise<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 If you need help with any of these concepts, I highly<\/em> recommend the Service Course’s guide to proper observance of de Ronde with beer<\/a> and frites<\/a> (I also recommend his pro tip: schedule a longer ride on Monday to properly atone for the inevitable excess).<\/p>\n

Finally – and above all – you need community.\u00c2\u00a0 If you can gather a living room full of fellow faithful to watch de Ronde with you when it’s still dark out on a Sunday morning?\u00c2\u00a0 Bless you.\u00c2\u00a0 But if you are part of the far flung diaspora, isolated in your appreciation for the high holy day?\u00c2\u00a0 Commune with your fellow fan here at PodiumCafe<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 All are welcome.<\/p>\n

\\o\/<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy LeGuape<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a bit of a personal note, I spent the afternoon getting ready for celebrating tomorrow’s high holy day.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re interested in how to do it properly, click on “more”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,2],"tags":[501,196,198,199,197],"class_list":["post-2718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cycling","category-personal","tag-cycling","tag-de-ronde-van-vlaanderen","tag-podiumcafe","tag-steephilltv","tag-tour-of-flanders"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t